Spine
-
Retrospective series. ⋯ It was observed that the Lenke description for structurality of proximal thoracic curves can effectively determine which curves need fusion and which curves do not. Because there was no difference among inclusion of a nonstructural proximal thoracic curve into fusion or solely fusing the main thoracic curve in terms of outcomes, extension of fusion to T2 or T3 is unnecessary. In this patient population, the question of what the upper extent of instrumentation should be could not be answered.
-
Spinal neuropeptide responses in persistent and transient pain following cervical nerve root injury.
Behavioral and immunohistochemical analysis in rat models of persistent and transient allodynia. ⋯ Compression and transection of the cervical nerve root produce different forepaw allodynia responses, with persistent and transient sensitivity, respectively. Spinal neuropeptide expression in these models parallels this sensitivity, suggesting their potential role in pain symptoms.
-
Intermittent pneumatic compression stockings (IPC) alone were prospectively used to avoid deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) in 100 consecutive patients undergoing single-level anterior corpectomy/fusion (ACF) and in 100 patients having multilevel ACF/posterior fusion. ⋯ IPCs were as effective for prophylaxis against DVT/PE for 100 patients undergoing single-level ACF and for 100 having circumferential procedures as existing therapies (mini-heparin and low-dose heparin), without the risk of hemorrhage. However, the 1% and 2% respective rates of PE were comparable to frequencies of PE encountered in other cranial/spinal series using mini-heparin and/or low-dose heparin regimens but avoided the 2% to 4% risk of major postoperative hemorrhage.
-
Case Reports
Anterior cervical screw extrusion leading to acute upper airway obstruction: case report.
Case report of late postoperative complication. ⋯ We report a case of acute upper airway obstruction from prevertebral abscess, likely secondary to a loosened anterior cervical screw penetrating the prevertebral soft tissue. In contrast to case reports in the literature involving instrumentation extrusion with a usually benign outcome, our case presented with a life-threatening condition.
-
A biomechanical study on a pneumatically controlled 7-axis spine simulator using Delron and human cadaveric spine models. ⋯ This extension plate appears to be biomechanically equivalent to the ABC cervical plates with which it was compared in this study.